Hard to Breathe
by Kiss And Make Up
Summary: LMLD. She'd never admit it to anyone, but it wasn't the burgers that kept Rory coming back to Luke's. [set after Rory graduates college]


**A/N: So, as fed up as I am with the current season of Gilmore Girls, the old episodes are still great, so I've decided to give writing Gilmore fics another try. I'm not ready to pick up AISB yet, because it was meant to be a rewrite of last season, and I just don't want to go there right now. So instead, I've decided to enter the wonderful world of the incredibly unconventional fics: starting with Rory/Luke. I don't have the best track record with finishing stories, so I'll probably try to make this one short- just a few chapters.**

**I'm thinking of maybe doing a Lorelai/Dean next. That one line just always gets me, where she says "just because you and Rory have broken up doesn't mean that we have." Haha.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, and I'm not even really sure who does anymore. Writers changed, network changed. Whatever, it's still not mine. (Though that's a shame: I assure you it would be far better if it was).**

* * *

The first time she saw him, there wasn't much conversation. She was only eleven years old and she was still just a shy little girl. He took her order, and when he brought her food they exchanged the customary thanks yous, but those were the only words they exchanged. She noticed him though, and thought he was the handsomest man she'd ever seen. She watched her mother flirt with him and felt an unfamiliar sensation in her gut. It wasn't until her fifth trip to the diner that she realized what she was feeling: jealousy.

Somehow, she had developed an absurd schoolgirl crush on this scruffy man whom she hardly even knew. This man who had been nearly twenty years old when she was born. And she was jealous of the way he talked to her mother. Ridiculous!

Soon, however, she found that the jealousy gave her the confidence to participate in the conversations. Every night, she would beg her mother to take her to Luke's diner, claiming it was because the burgers were the best she'd ever had. Lorelai agreed most nights, and soon began bringing her in for breakfast too, claiming the coffee was the best in the world. Rory had never tasted the coffee herself, and she wondered if it was truly the best in the world or if her mother was only making excuses as well.

Over the years, it became normal, even expected, to see the Gilmore Girls dining at Luke's for nearly every meal. The two continued to pretend it was because "man can not live on pop-tarts alone." But while Lorelai subconsciously began to feel more than friendship for the flannel-clad diner owner, Rory was quite conscious of her own growing feelings. Her little eleven-year-old crush turned into a sixteen-year-old crush, which incidentally came with far more intense emotions and the occasional dirty dream. Unfortunately her extremely perceptive mind also picked up on her mother's crush, and the fact that while her own was quite unrequited, her mother's clearly was not.

As a result, her jealousy grew and grew, until one day she decided to put a stop to it. She loved her mother more than anything, and it was just not acceptable to feel this way. A few more years of this could turn into some pretty unhealthy resentment! So when Rory met the tall, dark, tall, handsome, and tall city boy from Chicago, and she felt the slightest stirring in her heart, she took full advantage of the situation and became determined to make this newcomer her boyfriend so she could finally get over Luke.

It seemed like a perfect plan, and it was working wonderfully, until she became afraid of her mother's reaction. She had had her first big fight with her mother over this boy. She had felt guilty hiding him at first, but what if Lorelai didn't approve. She was doing this to protect their relationship, but Lorelai didn't, couldn't ever know that!

Everything seemed to work out alright, though. Lorelai and Rory made up, Rory took Dean to a dance at her school where she continued to fall for him more and more, and then he asked her to be his boyfriend and everything was perfect.

But she still hadn't really gotten over Luke.

On her three month anniversary with Dean, he took her to one of the nicest restaurants. Then he took her to a dump, which had confused her until he explained that he had built her a car. Then her confusion returned when he said those three little words. "I love you."

She tried to say it back, she really did. But her heart was fifty times more confused than her mind had ever been. Here was this cute, sweet boy, bearing his heart and soul to her, and yet all she could think about was what it would be like to hear those words from another man. The one with the backwards baseball cap and the constant five o'clock shadow.

Yes, looking back now she could see things more clearly. Now that she had a college degree from an Ivy League school, she understood. Now that she had matured and experienced things—boys, sex, heartbreak—she finally had it all figured out. She didn't have a crush on Luke. Not since she was seventeen. Oh, no. She didn't have a crush on Luke Danes… She was head-over-heels, cry-yourself-to-sleep, lasso-me-the-moon, and any other cliché you can think of, in love with him.

Yes, Rory understood now. She knew that she was in for a world of trouble.

* * *

**A/N2: Also, I haven't decided yet if this is going to be AU or not—meaning whether or not Lorelai and Luke will have ever had a relationship. I don't know whether or not I want to deal with that plotline. I'll decide by the next chapter.**


End file.
